Alcatraz Uncovered	
Goals of Program	
Students will …
•	Enrich their understanding of place through inquiry
•	Experience national parks as places for learning and recreation and develop a personal connection with their local national park.
	
Desired Results	
Transfer	
•	To be able to apply the skills of observation and inferences to places beyond Alcatraz.
•	To apply critical thinking when examining history.
•	To understand how objects can tell the history of a place
	
Meaning	
Enduring Understandings
•	Archaeology can tell the history of a place.
•	Context is influenced by historical events.
•	Local history reflects (enriches and challenges?) the national narrative.
•	National parks belong to all of us and each of us can play a part in their preservation and protection.
	Essential Question
How does archaeology help me understand a place?	
Acquisition	
Students will know
•	Key facts and vocabulary related to an archaeological investigation.
•	The historical context of national events and their impact on Alcatraz.	Students will be able to …
•	Observe and infer the layers of history on Alcatraz.
•	Name at least three skills that archaeologists use.
•	Develop relevant questions.
•	Express their findings orally and in writing.
•	Examine, question, and interpret artifacts to determine what architectural and cultural changes took place on Alcatraz.	
Evidence	
1.	Students will participate in the following discussions:
•	How does the selection of artifacts preserved influence our perception of a place?
•	How did the artifacts help me understand Alcatraz?
•	How does this help me think other cultures in a different way?

2.	Students will select a time period, choose a role, and write a letter back home telling them what’s going on in her/his life on Alcatraz.  They will use their observations, inferences, and evidence from their pre-site work, the visit from NPS staff, and their visit to Alcatraz to support their letter.
                       OR
Students will write an informative essay that describes the missing stories from a time period covered in their textbook.  They should consider the following points as they write their essays:
•	Look at the pictures chosen to illustrate that time period in the social studies textbook.
•	What stories do these artifacts tell?
•	What stories are missing?
•	What artifacts could be used to tell these stories?
	
California’s Common Core State Standards
Grades  6-8	
Reading Standards for Informational - Text 6-12
       Craft and Structure
4.    Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text …

Writing Standards - 6-12
        Text type and Purposes
3.    Write narratives to develop real or imagined experiences or events …	
History – Social Science Content Standards: Grades Six Through Eight	
Chronological and Spatial Thinking
1.	Students explain how major events are related to one another through time.
Historical Interpretation
1.	Students explain the central issues and problems from the past, placing people and events in a matrix of time and place.
2.	Students understand and distinguish case, effect, sequence, and correlation in historical events, including the long- and short-term causal relations.
4.	Students recognize the role of chance, oversight, and error in history.